A New Life
by Dinar
Summary: It's just after the fight with Pain and the New Leaf Village is picking up the pieces. Akatsuki doesn't rest, and one lone girl appears that can tip the balance to either side. Just who is she, and why is she so important? Multiple pairings.  HIATUS
1. Prologue

_I do not own Naruto, or its characters; although if you count dreams, then Hatake Kakashi is mine. I have written this fanfiction - for fun - for my daughter; and I do not follow the Naruto story arc faithfully. Thus, there are slight changes (like there's still the original Team 7 with Sasuke - instead of him being a madman bent on revenge and developing his own evil laughter), the Third Hokage still being alive etc - but essentially, I try to remain true to the characters unique personalities. It's a romance & buddy-buddy with a dash of humour (hopefully)._

Enjoy. Please. Hopefully you don't die from boredom when reading this...

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><p>A lone man was sitting nonchantly upon a tree branch, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings as he read a small, pink book of dubious content. His carelessly spiked silver hair ruffled in the wind that blew, hardly disturbing his concentration as the Konoha forehead protector kept it away from his eye – which happened to be the only thing that wasn't covered by the mask that dominated his face. He sported the typical green sleeveless vest over his black long sleeve shirt whilst his hands donned the fingerless black glove.<p>

"Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei!"

The man's eyebrow raised up a little and he cocked his head slightly towards the sound of the voice as he asked, without lifting his head, "What is it, Sakura?"

Sakura had been running, and now she screeched to a stop, as she looked up at his favourite spot for reading his … er … books. She answered, "The Third Hokage calls for you."

At that, he _did _stop reading, made a little sigh as he marked the page he was on. Jumping down nimbly from the tree branch, he carefully placed the book he had been reading into his pocket and walked off, thanking Sakura for the message.

Sakura, however, didn't stop there and walked beside her sensei. She was just about to ask him something when a bundle of orange came bursting through the bushes, the spiky yellow hair flaying about as he spinned out of control. While Kakashi nimbly stepped aside from the yellow torpedo, Sakura wasn't as lucky for she had been too preoccupied in thinking of how to ask Kakashi something.

"NARUTOOOOOOO!" screamed Sakura into Naruto's ear as they crashed into the tree nearby.

Naruto grinned cheekily as he shook his head to clear it from the screeching that was piercing the air. "Do you think we're going to get a mission?"

Sakura kicked Naruto off her, and he went flying backwards into another tree. In actual reality, Naruto could have avoided the kick altogether but he knew Sakura got a … kick … doing it. Pun intended. So he willingly let himself be her own personal stress releaser; though one would think that at the amount of curses and screaming she was doing, she'd have been less stressed out by now.

Sakura quickly turned towards her sensei to ask the question, only to find him gone. She looked everywhere frantically, but realized that it was too late. Her fury renewed, she started chasing after Naruto all the way back to town.

_Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location … three men in long, flowing robes and wearing extremely weird masks were in a circle, surrounding a well that was glowing. One wore a mask akin to a swirling tree trunk, one work a mask that resembled a skull (in fact, it made him look like he didn't have any outer layer, and the other looked like he had a living plant for a head. They were mumbling some weird noises, their fingers moving rapidly into quick succession as the glow in the well got brighter, and brighter. The glow became a swirl, and it got faster and faster like a tornado until finally, a girl emerged from within its center. Her long, dark and wavy hair twirled about her oval face, and eventually fell to its side, revealing a face – whilst not a great beauty – was certainly worth a second look as it framed breathtakingly sweet features. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was shallow and she was dressed in strange clothes which were unseen before in the realm. The three men dropped down in exhaustion, and their faces would have shown this if it wasn't covered up like that._

"_It is done," breathed the tree-swirling face man._

"_But is it enough?" questioned the plant head man._

"_It has to be," replied the skull man, "we don't have enough chakra to attempt that ever again. At least, not in this lifetime." He moved closer to the unconscious figure, which was still floating in mid-air. He brushed her hair further away, studying her features closely and then his eyes roamed her lithe figure. She was wearing some sort of white, weird like material as a top which covered her like any other shirt but it was her pants that got him intrigued. He poked at it, and felt its texture. Like the soft bark of a tree. He shook his head, wondering about the dimension this girl had come from. However, if the prophecy was correct, she would be the lever that would make their side stronger in the struggle they were in. _

_The tree-swirling face man snapped his fingers, and immediately, some groveling minions appeared. The first one handed him a knife and another handed him a bowl. Lifting up her shirt, he first dipped the blade into the waters of the bowl before beginning his work of carving an intricate design upon her stomach. His concentration keen as the knife blade swiftly went on its work. He cut deep enough to draw blood yet it was shallow enough not to cause any damage into the internal organs. The blood which flowed was adeptly caught by the minions, careful not to let any go to waste onto the dirt floor. Once his work was done, he stepped back and the other two studied the design. Nodding in satisfaction, the minions then took the girl away into the room that had been prepared for her. _

Back at the Hidden Leaf Village …

The Third Hokage was at the top of the building, surveying the city that has been his home and responsibility for longer than he cared to remember. He should start choosing the next Hokage, considering his age and all. Yet, he could hardly find the heart to do so, since the Fourth Hokage had died too soon. He started to sigh, but stopped in time when he realized Kakashi had appeared beside him. Silent as always, Kakashi waited for him to speak.

"We have received word that there's been some strange forces gathering in the North" began the Third Hokage, "I want you to assemble a team and investigate it."

Kakashi nodded, and turned to leave but stopped when the Third Hokage continued, "It may not appear to be as what is expected."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, tilting his head in enquiry, "What do you mean by that?"

The Third Hokage looked up at the sky before replying, "It is just a feeling, an unease that has been invading my thoughts and dreams of late. I fear something ominous in the horizon; something forbidden having been done. So choose carefully the team that is to follow you."

Kakashi was silent, absorbing the gentle warning that he was given as he nodded and walked away to prepare. There wasn't a doubt that it would be Team 7. With the powerful attack combination of Sasuke and Naruto, he was sure that they would be able to handle any attack that came their way, and Sakura would be an invaluable asset as a strong and powerful healer. The only problem with this team is the often rash actions of Naruto, but even Kakashi had to admit that Naruto had matured considerably since their encounter with Pain. Something about the conversation he had with Pain that changed him; though Naruto still found pleasure in antagonizing Sakura every once in a while. Kakashi smiled a bit at this, his eyes crinkling when he thought about it. Life is too precious to be too serious. It was fun and laughter that made it easier to handle the pain.

A ghost of a memory flitted unbidden into his mind. This seemed to happen more often nowadays, ever since he died before being resurrected by Pain. He, himself, had come to reach an inner peace ever since he managed to talk with his father in the Afterlife. He managed to convey his goodbyes, and all that he had bottled up within him since his father's death. On the flip side, along with the peace he found with his father, he seemed to be experiencing more heartache as Obito and Rin's faces would flash through his mind. He had always harboured great sadness and guilt at Obito's sacrifice and the only way he knew how to ease his heart was to constantly train in using his Sharingan eye. He would also spend hours at Obito's memorial stone, telling him all his fears and thoughts, as the only mean of calming himself before a day began – or when he was extremely stressed out. No one knew the enormous burden Kakashi shouldered because of the laidback attitude he often portrayed; but that laid-back attitude was only achieved through sheer hard work – that, and the constant stream of little pink books that he read. Kakashi laughed a bit at that, and also admitted that it was Team 7's antics that also helped him get through the day.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the fogginess that often came whenever Obito and Rin's faces came into it. Without a second thought, his feet took him to Obito's memorial stone once again and he sat down, starting to unravel his feelings once again.

It was nighttime by the time Kakashi returned to town, his hands in his pocket as he whistled a happy tune. 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 …

DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM !

Kakashi waited until the last minute before making as if he was jumping to his left when he suddenly made a right jump. The other three missed Kakashi completely, while Sasuke cursed himself inwardly for not anticipating that. They turned, only to see Kakashi sitting on the rooftop, facing them but reading that little pink book of his. He hardly flinched when they landed beside him, with Naruto almost in his face as he asked excitedly, "What was it for? Is it a mission? A mission? Isn't it, Kakashi –sensei? I'm right, right?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she pulled Naruto off Kakashi's face whilst Sasuke simply stood there, immobile as he studied his sensei's face. With deliberate slowness, Kakashi flipped another page aside, marked it, placed it into his pocket before finally facing his students. "We leave at dawn. Be ready."

Naruto whooped with joy, his whole body in anticipation. Things had been very slow since the confrontation with Pain and he was eager to let loose. It wasn't that he was eager for bloodshed, or fighting … but he needed to do _some_thing. He had been spending the days training, and honing his skills but he as the days passed, he began to feel restless. He wanted to help people, he wanted to meet people, he wanted to _show _people that fighting wasn't the way to attain peace. It was an oxymoron, perhaps, that one had to fight to get them to stop to fight. To him, however, he simply wanted to fight to protect, and not for revenge. This was the message he wanted to spread. With this, he ran off happily, oblivious to his surroundings, as he prepared for travel. After a minute though, he ran back.

"Where are we going? How much should I pack?" he asked, scratching his head.

Sakura and Sasuke sighed. At least, _this _time, he realized that before he reached home.

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><p><em>Well, yeah. That's the first chapter down. Enjoy? Yes? No? Eh? No readers? It's okay - I know my #1 fan is either reading it, or going to read it, or has read it. Of course, if there ARE more readers and reviewers, I'll be more than astonished. :)<em>


	2. Chapter 1: Strange Beginnings

_I do not own Naruto, or its characters; although if you count dreams, then Hatake Kakashi is mine.  
><em>

Enjoy. Please. Hopefully you don't die from boredom when reading this...

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><p>Raine awoke with a pounding headache, in total darkness. Her entire body ached, her mouth was parched, her throat was sore. She groaned, turning over and feeling a sharp pain upon her stomach. She gasped, her eyes flying open while her hand clutched her stomach. That made it worse. It was a stinging sensation, and the touch only intensified the pain. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to adjust her eyesight to her surroundings, but to no avail. It was pitch black.<p>

Her heart pounding rapidly, she found it difficult to breathe as she tried to remember what happened. Try as she might, her entire mind was blank. The drums that were beating loudly and rapidly in her head didn't help either. She bit her lips hard, trying not to panic but it wasn't easy. She felt around her, and it felt like it was a bed. Of some sort. Patting softly around her, she took deep breaths as she tried to calm herself as she figured out how to get around. Strangely enough, closing her eyes made it less scary so she concentrated on what she could feel and hear, rather than what she couldn't see.

She inched her way slowly ahead, and screamed when she felt a warm hand and a chuckle. Jumping backwards on instinct, she banged against a wall and that hurt her head even more. "I'm sorry," said a deep voice, "I didn't mean to scare you."

Raine brought her knees up to her chest, ignoring the pain her stomach was giving while she faced the direction of the voice. Try as she might, she couldn't see anything. Why was it so dark?

"Wh-" she croaked, then swallowing a bit, tried again, "Where am I?"

"My house," came the voice, "I found you unconscious outside, so brought you in."

"I was?" she whispered, shaking her head. Why was it so heavy? So fuzzy? "Why is it so dark? Didn't pay the electricity bills?" she asked, then immediately regretted it as it sounded so rude, "I mean, how come you don't switch on the lights?"

There was a moment of silence, making Raine feel uncomfortable. She felt something blow at her face and she blinked, trying to swat it away, thinking it to be a mosquito or something. She took a deep breath then, and said, "I'm sorry, that sounded rude."

"And I'm sorry as well," he said.

"Why?" she asked, puzzled but she did not relax her stance.

"Because it's morning and the room is not dark at all," he answered.

Raine's eyes widened at this, and she shook her head, "No … no … it can't be. It's just … I mean, how can this be? I … I ..." hysteria threatened to overcome her when she suddenly felt herself being enveloped in a pair of strong arms. She struggled at first, panic stricken and confused, but her struggles didn't do a thing. She wailed then, and cried. The guy made some shushing noise, and was whispering something into her ear when she suddenly felt so sleepy. Before long, she was asleep again.

O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-

Madara held on a little longer, then released her onto the bed cursing. Acting all nice and concerned was beneath him, but it was a necessary act to make her depend on him. He frowned a little, as she had regained consciousness far too fast – she should have been asleep for another day or so. This was something he had not considered, and he was proud that he had been there when she awoke. Things might have gone differently otherwise. He lifted her blood-stained shirt and admired his handiwork. The pattern was set, and it glowed a bit as he made the necessary seal to complete it. Satisfied, he smiled as he looked upon her sleeping figure. Her blindness and lapse of memory was also a necessity, for he needed her to be completely dependent upon him and him only; so that he could use her for the purpose of the Order. She had so much untapped power within her, and if used properly, would be the end to all that dared oppose them. With the seal in place, and the proper use of it, he would be able to manipulate that power within her and gain more strength. He grinned then, and laughed softly. For that, he was willing to act all nice and gooey. She wouldn't be able to see his true expression anyway so he can grimace all he likes whenever he had to sprout all that nonsense. He lit a candle and sprinkled some things on top of it. This would calm her the next time she awoke, and make her more susceptible to him. He grinned at that before going out.

It wasn't long before Raine awoke again, her head still fuzzy. The memories of what occurred before came to her and she rubbed her eyes. She felt a bit calmer now, even though everything was still new. The thing was, other than her name, she couldn't remember much. There was a certain jasmine smell in the room, and she appreciated that. It reminded her of home … er, but she didn't know where home exactly was. So why did the jasmine smell make her think of that?

"Er, hello? Is anyone there?" she asked but was met with silence. Taking a deep breath, she felt around her until she reached the edge of the bed. Her body groaned at the movement she was making, but she was determined to move. She couldn't stay in bed forever, and she just had to get used to her surroundings. She may have lost her sight, and her memories, but she was sure she hadn't lost her determination to get things done.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and took slow, baby like steps with her hands oustretched in front of her, until she reached a wall. Using it as a guide, she slowly walked to her left, and memorized the number of steps she had taken. With this method, she got to know the layout of the room and where everything was. Finally done, she sat back down on the bed, and sighed. She already knew where the door was, and the windows – but she couldn't open the windows since it was locked. She didn't dare go out because she might never find her way back in – and memorizing the layout of the room was hard enough. All she had to do now was wait, wait for her savior whose name she didn't know. Yet. The only familiar thing that appeared in this strange new world of hers. A world of darkness.

O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-

Kakashi surveyed the area, his sharingan eye taking in everything. It had taken them four days to reach this place, the delay due to him insisting on taking extra precautions. If the Third Hokage felt something out of place, Kakashi was sure there were spies and traps everywhere. They had to enter unnoticed – and it was better to be safe than sorry. As he studied the scene in front of him, it appeared to be a normal cottage; but he could detect a few things out of place. The people that were working in the area weren't really needed in the area and seemed to be on guard rather than working. He kept silent, continuing to study the layout.

Team 7 took turns surveying the place, but the routine was the same everyday. In, out, in, out – people came in, people came out. Swept the place, did some shopping, came back. The only strange thing was the people never really talked to each other but just did their duties like robots. It was on the third day that something different happened, and Sakura called out to Kakashi. He awoke quickly, and pushed up his protective headgear, revealing his sharingan eye. A young girl had emerged from the cottage and Kakashi's eyes widened in shock and his heart nearly stopped. It took all of Kakashi's training to prevent the gasp that had almost escaped his lips as he, once again, looked into the face of Obito.

But it wasn't Obito for a whole lot of obvious reasons. First, the person in front of him was a girl. Second, even if the person was a guy, he/she was too young to be Obito. Third, he was going crazy. Kakashi shook his head, closed his eye for a second and concentrated on focusing before opening them again. What he saw next made him more confused –the girl was smiling, while closing her eyes and putting her face to the sky, and at that precise moment, she looked like Rin. His mind was surely playing tricks on him. He must _really _be going crazy. Before he could make sense of what he was seeing, the unknown girl turned towards the door that was open, and said a few things. He lipped read, _Come on out, Archie. The weather is great._

Kakashi froze.

Archie. What sort of name was that? He now focused his eye into the dark hallway and could make out the silhouette of the person … and gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Madara. If he was here, then there was surely something bad happening. What was his scheme? The fact that he hadn't made any visible move during the last few days was curious enough, but where did the girl fit into all of this? She didn't appear to be part of the group yet she didn't appear to be a captive. She was laughing and smiling as she twirled in the sun, her skirt making swirls around her like a parasol. She was like a light amidst the darkness – it couldn't be that Madara was in love, could it? Kakashi almost chocked at that thought.

Kakashi hit his forehead, causing the rest of his team to stare at him. He shrugged, and shielding his eye again, turned towards his Team and conveyed the plan. Whatever Madara was planning, the girl must be part of it – so that means, the girl must be separated from him. Who she is, why she's there and what she's to Madara can be determined come later. He hoped she didn't put up _too _much of a fight when they took her, though. To be completely honest, he didn't trust himself to be impartial as she reminded him too much of Obito. _I must really need my head examined_, Kakashi thought to himself.

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><p><em>Yes. Another chapter down. Have written a few before actually relenting to the pressures of an adorable girl blinking her eyelashes at me so prettily. Sorry it took so long, my dear. :)<em>


	3. Chapter 2

_I do not own Naruto, or its characters; although if you count dreams, then Hatake Kakashi is mine.  
><em>

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><p>Raine didn't know what had happened. One minute, she was basking in the sunlight – something she managed to cajole Archie into giving her (for some reason, he was very relunctant to let her out, as if she'd disappear or something). The next minute, she heard some <em>whooshing <em>sounds, some rapid footsteps, curses being shouted and Archie ordering her to get back inside … and then she was flying. Well, okay. Maybe not flying into the sky with wings, but surely when one had been swept off her feet - swung over shoulder - being on the move at breakneck speed in less than a second would qualify as flying!

It took Raine about a full minute before she came to her senses. She took a deep breath to start screaming, when her captor suddenly stopped, taped her mouth and tied her hands before flinging her again over his shoulder and she felt herself moving at breakneck speed again. All the while, sounds of fighting were happening but she couldn't make out a thing and couldn't make out any other sounds. What she _could _start to feel, however, was the hardly-out-of-breath breathing of the guy carrying her as they went left-right-jump-up-down … ok. This is not good. It doesn't sound like he's running on the ground but amongst the trees … and for confirmation, she felt some leaves brush her face. Who in the Hell was this guy anyway? He can't be human to be running at this speed … _This is worse than a roller coaster ride! _She thought to herself, as she then closed her eyes and decided hanging on to dear life to whoever it was that held her was perhaps the best thing right now.

Archie would surely come and get her. He had been so kind to her, so patient as he helped her the past few days. These people must be bad guys, to take her away from the one place she felt secure in. Heck, the only place she knew at the moment. She decided that being patient and docile was the best thing for now. She'd figure out a plan later on how to escape.

O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief when he felt his … cargo … relaxing. He was prepared for a kicking, screaming and generally hyper-active cargo, so having a docile one certainly made the escape easier. Halfway turning to face their pursuers, he saw Naruto going into Sage mode and quickly dispensing of them with the additional help of Sasuke using his Lightning Chakra. Sakura was ahead, clearing the pathway and it didn't take them long get to a safe spot for a breather.

"Kakashi-sensei", a soft voice came from under the bushes. A frog, wearing a dress and sporting a cane, came hopping out.

Naruto shouted with glee, and was about to pounce on the frog when Kakashi held up his hand – without letting the captive go, of course. He nodded politely, replying, "Mama-san, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Anything for you, my dear," she replied and smiled at Naruto who was threatening to come out with a big pout. She raised a eyebrow – if she could have one – at seeing what Kakashi was holding onto tightly, but knew better than to ask. Kakashi, of course, sported the "_What"_ look as if carrying someone over his shoulder was an everyday occurrence. Mama-san tapped the well that was nearby, and said, "Rinisha is ready and the Third Hokage has already been informed of this. Good luck, and pleasant journey"

With that, the four of them were teleported back to Hidden Leaf Village.

O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-

Raine was quiet throughout the entire exchange, partly because she knew she would not be able to go very far and partly because the entire speed journey left her feeling a little bit sick. She smirked a bit, thinking how wonderful it would be if she could throw up all over this guy's back – Kakashi, was it? – but with her mouth taped up, she'd just soil herself anyway. The conversation was a bit weird and the sudden pulling sensation _really, really _made her feel sick.

Finally, the pulling and the swirling stopped, and she was put down. Wobbling, she would have fallen unceremoniously upon her butt if it wasn't for a pair of strong arms catching her. She smacked it away, and swayed catching her bearing when her hands fell on the wall – which she later realized was actually his chest (everytime she remembered this in the future, she would start blushing, by the way). Kakashi leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I'm going to untie you now. Please don't scream or try to run away. We're not here to hurt you, okay?" Raine nodded, a bit uncomfortable at the way his deep voice seemed to resonate within her, as she felt his warm breath upon her ear and she could smell a rather musky – but rather tantalizing – smell coming from his face that was so close. Her heart was now beating rapidly and she cursed herself. Darn, not being able to see made her other senses more acute and she's now thinking that she needs her head examined. Perhaps she must have been a really sheltered girl back home because this guy seemed to be making havoc to her brain.

"Hmmm, Kakashi. I sent you to investigate the strange forces being worked up at Mt. Heriku, and you come back with a wife?"

Kakashi coughed at that, as he took off the tape that secured the lady's mouth and untied her. Raine rubbed her wrists, though in reality, it wasn't really painful. It just gave her an excuse to do something. She could hear footsteps coming closer, and she could somehow sense that there were a lot of people around.

The Third Hokage studied the girl in front of him. True, Kakashi had already sent a short report about what he had seen, and what he was going to do. Still, he couldn't help but take a jab at him since – for the first time that he's known Kakashi, Kakashi actually appeared flustered. It was a slight gesture, but it was there. He could understand why, though. This lady really did look like a female Obito. Or to be more precise, she looked like she could be Obito and Rin's daughter. That must have really shaken Kakashi to the core.

"What is your name, child?" he asked gently.

"Raine," came the soft reply. The Third Hokage blinked a bit, noticing something else. On impulse, he put his hand near her face and waved it before initiating a small flame. There was no reaction. Everyone noticed this, their eyes widening a bit. Kakashi berated himself for not noticing this earlier, even though he could hardly be blamed for not realizing it since he had been so busy fighting and protecting her to actually look at her face properly. Then again, he was trying to avoid looking at her too directly since it was very distracting and disturbing to constantly be reminded of Obito. Still, he moved closer to her now, to help her should she need it when they started walking.

Raine realized something had happened, but didn't know what – she could sense a sort of shift in the atmosphere. She also felt Kakashi moving closer to her, as if he was going to stop her from running away. She gritted her teeth at that. Hadn't she been a real nice hostage all this while? So why was he acting all jailer-like?

"Perhaps you should rest first, before we talk," began the Third Hokage but Raine shook her head, almost shouting. "No! I think I deserve some sort of explanation. After all, _he"_ she said, jerking her head towards Kakashi's direction "just took me away from the only home I know without warning. Just upped and picked me up like some rag doll without a word. That's kidnapping!"

She put her hands on her hips, huffing and _trying _hard to look angry. Truth be told, she couldn't really be angry. Or rather, she could not _get _angry for long. Despite everything that happened, she found it rather amazing (and alarming, to a certain extent) the level of calmness she would always feel; and there wasn't any other emotion that she could generate for long. It was always a sense of peace, calm … and gratefulness. It was irritating, but as soon as that emotion reared its head, she started feeling guilty and began to feel grateful again. It's all so confusing.

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage nodded his head, "It's only fair. Come, we shall talk in a more comfortable place," he said.

Raine hesitated for a second, wondering how she would tell them that she couldn't see when she felt a hand take hers, to be placed on an arm. She blinked a bit, trying not to be too distracted at the hard muscles she could feel underneath the soft skin (how's _that _for an oxymoron?). So they knew she couldn't see, and was grateful for that little thing. Kakashi proved to be an adept guide, for he matched his pace to hers, and would warn her of whatever potholes, stairs or uneven ground that they met. Not even Archie was this attentive, Raine had to admit and she got worried about him. How was he? What was he thinking right now? Was he okay? She sighed a little, and knew she had to take one thing at a time.

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><p><em>Yes, my dear child. Kiba hasn't shown up yet. Don't kill me ... ^_^<em>


	4. Chapter 3

_I do not own Naruto, or its characters; although if you count dreams, then Hatake Kakashi is mine.  
><em>

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><p>The room was silent as everyone waited for the Third Hokage to speak. Raine sat in front of him, with Kakashi beside her and Team 7 behind them. Raine suddenly became nervous, wringing her hands while trying to swallow. "Here," said Kakashi, taking her hand and putting a cup into it, "water".<p>

"Thank you," she croaked, before taking a sip and putting it on the floor in front of her. Though the water did ease the dryness a bit, it wasn't long before it became dry again. She'd rather die than admit it was because of that darn man sitting beside her. She didn't understand it, and couldn't understand it, as to _why _he would affect her so. He had forcibly taken her from the one secure place she knew, away from the one guy that she relied on exclusively before this – and yet, Archie never instigated such nervousness from her before. It didn't make any sense at all. She started playing with her hair, chewing on its end as she waited impatiently for the other person to speak.

"Well, my child," he began, "first, I need to ask you. You mentioned that the place was the only place you've ever known. Does this mean you were born there?"

"Er, no. Actually, I don't know where I was born. Or where I am. Or who I am, other than my name. Archie found me outside his house about a week ago and he's been taking care of me since then. I can't remember much of my past other than one or two vague memories.." Raine explained.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. _Archie _? The Third Hokage was also surprised at this, "So, this … Archie, you say, was the first person you remember?"

"Not remember. That I know. The other servants around the house doesn't talk because they're mute. So Archie's the only one I've had any conversation with. Well, until now that is."

The Third Hokage nodded his head, then remembered that she wouldn't have seen that, "I see, I see. Well, what I'm going to tell you next may be hard to believe, but I ask you to be patient and listen until the end." He then proceeded to give her a _very _brief history of the war, and how it was connected to, er, Archie. He told her that Archie's real name was Madara Uchiha and was the leader of the band Akatsuki which wanted to take over the world. It was them, and a few other ninja villages, that stood in their way.

Throughout the entire history lesson, Raine kept silent. However, one could easily tell what was on her mind as her facial expression was, to say the least, priceless. Puzzlement, disbelief and shock was often portrayed and for some reason, Kakashi found it absolutely fascinating. Most of the time, she had a disbelief look on her face, but she still kept silent despite it. Team 7, on the other hand, couldn't see what their Kakashi-sensei found so fascinating but they started looking at each other with a knowing smile. They've never seen him so attentive with a woman before. Maybe something good would come out of this after all … if she was good, that is. And not part of Akatsuki.

When the Third Hokage finally finished, he waited patiently in turn. It had taken him quite some skill to continue talking earlier while having to face such an animated audience. With Raine's comical facial expression, Kakashi's obvious mirth and Team 7's fidgeting curiosity with knowing looks … the Third Hokage should have been given an Oscar.

"O-kay…." began Raine, and opened her mouth to say something, then stopped. She twirled her hair again, and started munching on the end before licking her lips to start again, "So, the guy that had been taking care of me so well is an evil guy while this guy that took me without my consent is the good guy. Yeah, riiiiiggghhhtt … I believe you. Completely." She finished, looking all innocent.

Kakashi started to laugh, but covered it up with a sudden fit of coughing. The Third Hokage sighed, and acknowledged this fact, "Yes, I understand. There's nothing we can do to convince you otherwise, but for now, you'll have to stay here. I don't know what your link is to Akatsuki, but you must be important since you were so heavily guarded. We can't take the risk of you falling back into their hands."

Raine shrugged, saying, "It's not like I can go anywhere on my own."

Just then, Raine heard some rapid footsteps leading towards them. It sounded like three people … no, two people and an animal of some kind. "Ah, come, come. Tsunade, I'd like you to examine Raine, please."

"Wait a minute. Examine? Me?" squeaked Raine. "Why? I'm perfectly fine!" she protested.

"A person who is fine wouldn't have memory loss," answered a female voice. Raine shrugged again, acknowledging this. Tsunade shooed Kakashi aside, and studying Raine's face, she said, "This won't hurt a bit. I just need to put my hands around your head and examine your internal organs"

Raine stiffened a bit at that statement. _This lady is going to do – what? Magic? Is such a thing accepted here without question?_

"Wait a minute. Around my head? Not on my head?" asked Raine, taken aback.

"Of course. There's never any physical contact for chakra sensing," Tsunade replied.

_Chakra? What on Earth is chakra? _Raine wondered. Still, there wasn't anything she could do other than sit down obediently. She couldn't feel anything, so it was rather weird to just … sit there. It wasn't a minute when suddenly there was a _whoosh_ and the presence of a person in front of her disappeared, followed by a loud _BAM _as a body slammed into another body.

"What just happened?" queried Raine amidst the sudden silence. No one answered her at first, then she heard Kakashi saying, "I'm sorry" just before she passed out.

O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-o-O-o- O-o-O-

Kakashi caught Raine before she hit the ground, having rendered her unconscious by pressing some pressure points in quick, rapid succession. He gently laid her down, while Tsunade returned – having been flung aside by some unseen force when she tried to examine Raine. Turning Raine onto her side, she indicated to Kakashi to hold her in that position, while she felt underneath Raine's hair.

With a satisfied grunt, she slowly pulled out two small metal rods, its thickness no longer than a pinkie and about 1½ inch in length. Naruto examined the rods, saying, "This is different than the metal rods Pain used, but it's almost the same. What is it?"

"This is what caused her memory loss. And blindness," explained Tsunade. "It was embedded straight into the part of the brain that allows sight and memory recall, effectively blocking all signals. She's going to wake up with a splitting headache, and be extremely confused, I bet."

Nodding to Kakashi, who then placed Raine back on the floor. "But that doesn't explain the sudden chakra rejection," mused Tsunade. "I managed to locate the rods just before being flung and made an educated guess, but there's something …"

"She has a lot of chakra," piped up Kiba. Everyone turned towards him as he came closer. "Yet, it's not really chakra; which is why I didn't say anything before. It's strange. I could sense the powerful chakra in Gaara and Naruto, and that's due to the sealed beast in them. I can sense something powerful in her as well … but it's different somehow. I can't explain it. I know she has some sort of power that appears to be focused here," he explained, indicating around her stomach, "but it's so different than what I normally can sense. All I can say is, with certainty, she has chakra. Of some sort."

Tsunade nodded, and started to lift Raine's shirt up. "Whoa-whoa-whoa! What are you _doing!_" shouted Naruto before being glared at by Sakura. "Oh, pipe down, Naruto. You're not going to get a free show! Just turn around if it bothers you that much."

Naruto's face got red then. "There's a seal here," muttered Tsunade, "Worse, it's a blood seal." Normally, seals were made with the user's chakra, and the patterns could not been seen as it was absorbed within the body. However, in cases where the user's chakra would be insufficient to withstand the thing that it was to seal, a blood seal would be made. The fact that it was Madara, who had high amount of chakra, using a blood seal … meant Raine's chakra (or whatever she has) was far greater than even his. Could she be holding in a sealed beast far stronger than Naruto's?

"This is serious," said the Third Hokage, "It is obvious that he intends to use her as a source of power, and the blood seal may help us for the time being in containing whatever power she has. Now that you've removed her memory loss, her awakening may be troublesome." Turning to Kakashi, he said, "I'll place some protective barrier around her for the time being, and call on those who can learn more from this. In the meantime, you're the only one right now who has the power to subdue her, if need be. Guard her until reinforcements arrive."

Kakashi nodded, and gently lifted Raine up. _This has gotten complicated …_ he thought to himself.

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><p><em>See? Kiba made his FIRST appearance here. That should keep you satisfied for a while. Well, maybe a minute but hey, can't have everything. ;)<em>


	5. Chapter 4

_I do not own Naruto, or its characters; although if you count dreams, then Hatake Kakashi is mine.  
><em>

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><p>Raine was having a nightmare. Being chased, having to hide, keeping secrets … it all came back to her, in a dream. If only it was a dream, that her unconscious mind simply made up due to the stress of this strange place … but she knew that her dream was actually replaying her memories. Even in her dreams she couldn't escape the harsh reality of human cruelty and as she forced herself awake, she realized that the last few days had been the best time of her life. Even the 'kidnapping away from evil dude guy' had been fun, compared to before.<p>

She placed her arm over her head, groaning. _Not again_ … it felt like a sledgehammer decided her head was a drum.

"How are you feeling?"

Raine recognized Kakashi's voice and she ignored him for a while as she pounded her own forehead to relieve the pain. "I'll live," she answered, her eyes closed. It didn't matter if they were open anyway, and she would have traded her lost sight for lost memories anytime. At least, ignorance was bliss.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt fingers massaging her forehead and she gasped – twice. Once, in shock at the sudden sensation followed by a second one when she could see a rather concerned masked face nearby. Jerking upwards, she almost hit him but he had nimbly leaned back at her movement, and the sudden sensation made her wobbly again. She blinked, and though it was dark, she could _see_. The candle nearby glowed lightly, giving a rather homely glow to the place as she rubbed her eyes roughly. Kakashi held them down, shaking his head, saying, "You shouldn't do that. Might damage your eyes, you know."

"Kakashi?" she asked, hesitantly. He nodded. Then, for some reason, she started giggling. Kakashi's one visible eye looked at her curiously, which made her laugh out loud and it took her some time to finally get it under control. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she tried to say, between fits of laughter, "Sorry, sorry. It's just that … well, I pegged you as … the evil dude who kidnapped me … and here you are … in a mask … like some robber … and … and …" she started laughing again. Kakashi leaned back in his chair, his foot drapped over his knee and waited for her to get back under control.

"Yeah, I can see how this would instill greater trust about us to you," he drawled.

Raine sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on it, "Strangely enough, it does. If you were really trying to lie to me, you'd be extra careful about _not _raising any suspicion." She studied him again, taking in the rather muscular framed man sitting at ease in the chair in front of her. His rather spiky hair, which would normally be deemed messy, somehow suited him as it framed a face that was entirely covered by a dark mask save for one eye that looked at her back. Two things hit her mind then. First, his hair was _silver _… second, he really _did _look like a ninja straight out of the comic book.

Gaining her senses then, Raine took a long, slow look around her. This was a quaint, if sparse, cottage. There was not a single electronical item in the whole place. It looked like a typical .. ancient Asian dwelling. _Raine, I believe we're not in Kansas anymore_, she said to herself, repeating a line Dorothy made when she realized she was in the Land of Oz. How on Earth did she get here, and _where _was "here" anyway? From what little she remembered, these people were ninjas and uses chakra – whatever that was. A form of ying and yang energy, perhaps? Flinging the blanket that had been on her, Raine swung her legs off the bed. She had to check out something; whether this world … well, she just had to check it out.

Kakashi watched her silently get off the bed, making no move to stop her as she surveyed the place. She seemed to be adapting very well. "I'm going outside, is that okay?" she asked him, pointing at the door. Kakashi shrugged, waving her along and stood up to follow behind her as she walked out. Kakashi was about to show her some shoes when she simply walked onto the Earth with her bare feet, her toes digging in while she breathed in the fresh night air. She flexed her fingers and spread her arms wide before hugging herself, and surprised him by sitting down.

"This is a lovely place," she told him, as she played with the dirt on the ground. He noticed this habit of hers, having to keep her fingers occupied for some reason. He didn't answer, leaning on the wall of his house as he continued to study her. "There's hardly any nature left where I come from," she said, "and here, everything just seems so _pure_. Hard to believe there's a war going on."

"We're quite well hidden, and very well protected," Kakashi answered as a matter-of-factly.

"By highly skilled ninjas like you?" she asked with a soft laugh.

He didn't answer, and didn't need to. Raine sighed once again, trying to think about the next step. Obviously, Archie – or Madara – had lied to her. He couldn't have found her at his doorstep; not without being the reason she had been at his doorstep. She knew now, without a doubt, that this was not where she came from. In fact, it wasn't her Universe at all. The energy from this Land was different from her Home. It pulsed, and fluctuated around her, welcoming her as she remembered how to channel it. Earth – strong, dependable Earth which was overjoyed at her listening to him. Air – which whispered sweet melodies in her ear as she embraced its love. Fire – the singing of all the lights in the village entered into the melodies of the wind in welcoming her here. Water – gurgling underneath the village, content now that Raine was 'awake'. Wood – this entire village was created out of trees and their voices now sang in great joy. If she hadn't been able to control the sudden, strong outpouring of emotion Nature was giving her, she would have been knocked out flat for several days. Still, something wasn't right. She didn't have absolute control but perhaps that was attributed to this place being a new World and not hers.

The additional thing she could sense was that, while this world was so rich with energy and power, so were the people. Once she sat down on the ground, she could see how the energy from around them was slowly being absorbed by the people in the village. By focusing her inner sight, she could see small tendrils of silver light, connecting itself to houses. She turned towards Kakashi, admitting that he really did cut a very handsome figure in the background; even if one could not see his face at all. One such silver thread was connected to him as well, though his thread appeared brighter than most – which must indicate that he must be one of the higher energy users. Her inner eye caught the fact that his hidden eye was glowing brightly underneath the protector, and her instinct told her this was the reason why he had it covered. If it wasn't, the flow of energy from the Earth would come out there, thereby draining him far faster than it should. This made her extremely curious as to why this would be, and the nurse part of her was itching to fix it. To do that, she would need to touch his skin, though. For some reason, _that _kinda made her uncomfortable. It wasn't like she hadn't seen naked men before in her line of work but still … she shook her head and glanced at him again, turning her inner eye off.

Still, that didn't explain why he wore a mask to cover nearly his entire face! She had wanted to ask him about that, but thought better of it. If he was wearing it even at night, then there must be a good reason. He was entitled to his secrets and privacy. Raine patted the earth, and exuded a 'good night' to the Nature around her, calming them and making them quiet. _After all, everyone has their secrets … _

They then went inside, and Raine wondered what time it was. It was then that she realized there was only one bed, and the chair Kakashi had been sitting on was still there, facing the bed she had been on. _Don't tell me he's been sleeping on that chair the entire time? Or __did __he sleep at all? _She stole a glance at him, and couldn't see any visible tiredness.

"Well, I'm going back to sleep," she announced, climbing back onto the bed after she had washed her feet, "What time is it anyway?"

Kakashi looked outside and answered, "Around 3 in the morning"

"I'm impressed," Raine admitted, "You could tell just by looking at the sky?"

"No, by looking at Kisa," he replied. At her puzzled expression, he explained, "Kisa is our resident … er, dog I suppose. She sleeps under that tree right outside the house. If she's alone, it's before midnight. At 1am, an owl joins her. At 2am, a cat. At 3am, a rooster. Well, you get the idea."

Raine giggled at that. Then, just as she was about to lie back down, she frowned and asked him, "Aren't you sleeping?"

"In a while," he replied, coming back inside and closing the door. "You go ahead and sleep. I have a few things to settle first."

Raine nodded, and lay back down, fully intending to monitor his movements. If he was going to sleep on the chair, as she suspected, then she would scold him. Or something. Well, that _was _what she had intended to do. She didn't realize how tired her body was, however, for it didn't take long before she was soon deep in sleep once her head fell on the pillow.

Kakashi watched her as she fell asleep, knowing when she was in deep sleep once her breathing became regular. He relaxed then, and ran his fingers through his hair, before simply rubbing it as if he was scratching his head. He walked over to his closet, taking out a few changes of clothes. Iruka came then, taking over watching over Raine. They acknowledged each other, then Kakashi went to have a shower before flopping himself in the living room to sleep.

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><p><em>Right. That's the extent of the chapters I have for now. I will adhere to the promise given in love, that I will have a new chapter each weekend - the same time my princess is able to actually use the computer to go online. Till then, enjoy what's here. :)<em>


	6. Chapter 5

_I do not own Naruto, or its characters; although if you count dreams, then Hatake Kakashi is mine. I have written this fanfiction - for fun - for my daughter; and I do not follow the Naruto story arc faithfully. Thus, there are slight changes (like there's still the original Team 7 with Sasuke - instead of him being a madman bent on revenge and developing his own evil laughter), the Third Hokage still being alive etc - but essentially, I try to remain true to the characters unique personalities._

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><p>It was almost noon before Raine finally got up. Last night's 'test' had drained her more than it should, but Raine put that as being in an unfamiliar place. Normally, whenever she did such 'feelings' with nature, it wasn't any different as talking to anyone. Not much energy is used, as her energy was so in tune with nature that it was … well, second nature. It was not so last night, and her body showed her how much different it was. Bearing that in mind, Raine knew she should not use her talents so freely in this world. Back in her own place, hiding her talents was essential as people like her were considered 'freaks' and hunted down. Here, it was different. People utilized their talents – this 'chakra' thing – that was akin to powers that she had seen in her own world. Guess it wasn't <em>that <em>much different after all. The core was the same. There were just those little differences that made you realize you're not really in the same place. Still, this was a very nice place to be. With people who are able to be who they want to be. Guess wars are the same no matter where you go.

Raine stretched leisurely and noticed that she was alone in the room. Getting up and heading to the sink, she washed her face and gargled a while to clean her breath, at least. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't brushed her teeth since arriving here and she wondered what these people did about that. For the time being, the finger toothbrush would have to do. She grinned at herself, as this was something she often did when young and a memory of her with her best friend doing the same thing while singing. And it just _had _to be this scene that Kakashi walked in to see. A grinning girl that was rubbing her teeth. Raine nearly choked as she saw him hardly showing any reaction – except for the fact that his eye had momentarily bulged wide open with an eyebrow shooting up. Credits to him for not saying anything though.

"The Third Hokage would like to see you," he said with a cough. "There's some change of clothes there, if you'd like to freshen up." Raine looked to see where he was pointing, and sure enough, draped over the chair was a simple outfit – which suited her, really. She idly wondered whose it belonged to and whether it was loaned to him or if … she shook her head, suddenly wondering why she was thinking that.

"Thanks," she replied instead, and before she could ask, he said, "The shower's in there." Raine nodded, mentally hitting herself for not checking out the house first. At the very least, she could have freshened herself up without making herself look like a fool. Taking the clothes, and a towel, she quickly went in and took a much needed bath. There were no showers in here, of course, but a pail full of extremely cold water which she had to scoop out and use. It took her quite some time to get the courage to actually _start _bathing, and had to grit her teeth really, really hard in order not to scream out. If there was one thing Raine hated, it was the cold. And this was cold. Icy cold.

Once done, Raine walked out of the bathroom to find the house empty. She looked for a place to hang the wet towel, and to chuck her dirty clothes. Pursing her lips, she decided to hide the clothes first, and to wash it later. It was much easier at Archie's place. All the help did everything. Raine laughed at herself for this. Well, even bad guys had their saving graces, right? She took the wet towel with her outside, intending to hang it somewhere when she saw a boy with a huge dog waiting.

"Hi!" he grinned enthusiastically as she came into view. The dog barked in welcome, "I'm Kiba, and this here is my best friend, Akamaru."

Raine smiled and nodded, returning his greeting. It took her a bit of time to adjust, but she supposed there were some things that remained the same. Kiba had the canine look to his features, with some distinct red markings cut across his cheeks. His eyes were definitely not human, and his rather messy dark hair made his whole appearance extremely endearing. It wasn't his features that made her a bit surprised; it was the fact that he was absolutely unconscious about it that tugged at her heartstrings. Back home, people who's external features would reflect the powers they contained had to hide themselves if it was too pronounced. The luckier ones could come out if it was hidden through expert make-up. Raine wished Xena was here. Xena would have found this place an absolute Heaven.

Akamaru came near to her then, sniffing her face and everywhere. "He likes you," said Kiba unnecessarily, while Kiba yelped again. Raine ruffled his head and he nudged himself onto her even more, rubbing his nose at her side. Raine laughed then (as she is very ticklish at the sides) and grabbed him by the ears. Or what she thought where the ears would be since his fur was so thick.

Kiba just watched the exchange with a smile, not feeling any jealousy for he knew that he was #1 in Akamaru's heart. And vice versa. He was happy, though, to see that Akamaru liked the new girl, for this meant that she was OK and not a bad person. Despite her having some strange power that flung Tsunade the other day. Kiba frowned at this thought now, while he remembered the previous night's happenings. The Third Hokage wanted him to bring her to him, as they needed to decide the next course of action. Also, to try and discover what this new person was all about. That was why Kiba was sent to pick her up. With his heightened senses, he was supposed to see if he could gather anything different than yesterday. She's supposed to have regained her memories, so perhaps something would have changed. In the meantime, he watched as Raine played with Akamaru. He saw her grab his head and give it some rough scratches that he loved. Anyone who knew how to treat Akamaru is certainly good in his book.

Raine smiled as she scratched Akamaru's sides. This was no ordinary dog, Raine surmised – and not just because of the size (for all she knew, all dogs in this World was this size). It was the fact that his eyes bore intelligence, far beyond a normal animal. On impulse, Raine activated her inner eye and examined Akamaru's internal organs. Raine found that, structurally, Akamaru was like any other dog. Except that he had some power as well. Or something of that sort. It was only then Raine noticed the slight sliver of silver running from Akamaru to Earth, which confirmed her thought and she found this absolutely fascinating. In her world, only humans could access such power or have such power. Here, even animals could. It meant that this place was more highly evolved than the ones at her World. Perhaps that is why people were more tolerant of such display of power. Maybe this would mean, in the future, such a thing would be possible for her world as well. IF the people evolved … Raine investigated further, and found one abnormality … it appeared as if Akamaru's vocal chords were damaged somehow. It wasn't developed fully and this caused her to be more curious. She had already heard Akamaru bark, so what was this …

Raine snapped out of her intense concentration when she realized what she had been doing. Looking up, she blinked and saw that Kiba was studying her intently as well ... although he was fidgeting a lot as if he was dancing. Or had red hot ants in his pants. She just grinned at this image, then gave Akamaru a final pat before asking, "Where's Kakashi?"

Kiba's eyes narrowed a bit before he answered, "Well, Kakashi-_sensei_ is having a meeting with the Third Hokage now. I'm supposed to bring you there once you're ready."

Raine nodded, noticing the slight emphasis Kiba had made and she shrugged inwardly. Who goes around calling people by their full names anyway? Kakashi Sensei? Weird. What's next? Mr Kakashi? Sir Kakashi? Pfffft. "Oh, I'm ready now," Raine answered. "Lead the way"

Kiba nodded, and smiled although his head was spinning rapidly. He had _almost _rushed over and tackled Raine when he felt the sudden surge of power emitting from within her as she held Akamaru. The only thing that stopped him was that Akamaru himself wasn't doing anything, so it meant that there was no danger. So, by instinct, he stopped yet at the same time, his legs wanted to move. So, in the end, he started to fidget a lot by going front a bit then stopping, go again, and stop … and he seriously felt like he was vibrating … luckily that Raine didn't notice anything peculiar. This was something that he would need to report to Kakashi as soon as possible. As it is, he simply smiled and hopped along, glad when Akamaru came to walk with him.


	7. Chapter 6

_I do not own Naruto, or its characters; although if you count dreams, then Hatake Kakashi is mine. I have written this fanfiction - for fun - for my daughter; and I do not follow the Naruto story arc faithfully. Thus, there are slight changes (like there's still the original Team 7 with Sasuke - instead of him being a madman bent on revenge and developing his own evil laughter), the Third Hokage still being alive etc - but essentially, I try to remain true to the characters unique personalities._

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><p>The Third Hokage, Tsunade and Kakashi were in an intense discussion. The Third Hokage was looking extremely troubled, and serious as he gazed upon Kakashi, "Are you sure, Kakashi?"<p>

Kakashi nodded, actually looking very serious for the first time outside of a battle, and both Tsunade and The Third Hokage sighed, "Alright, if that's how you feel about it. Are you alright with this, Tsunade?"

Tsunade nodded, and replied, "Yes; though I still think Kakashi should still take it up. I understand his decision, however, and humbly accept in lieu of his choice."

The Third Hokage breathed a sigh of relief, "That is good. It was not an easy decision, but I am glad it has worked out for the best." Tsunade hadn't disappointed him – he knew, that should Kakashi not want the post, Tsunade wouldn't feel like she had been picked as a 'second thought'. He had hoped, however, that Kakashi would have surprised him and agreed; but he had to respect his choice.

Kakashi grinned then, and shook Tsunade's hand, saying, "Well, congratulations, Fifth Hokage. I am in your care." Kakashi was sincere in this; having refused the initial posting by the Third Hokage. Though he was honoured by the choice, he did not feel he was suited for it. He would rather be the one thick in the fight, rather than the one who had to make all the decisions. In his heart of hearts, Kakashi also felt that he just _had _to fight. He wouldn't be able to be the one left behind while others fought, nor would he be able to direct people to fight if he didn't fight himself. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he wasn't actually _doing _something to protect those that needed protection. Unconsciously, he touched his Sharingan Eye. _Obito … _

Just then, Kiba came in with Raine and it shook Kakashi out of his reverie. It still shook him up everytime she came into view, more so now since he had been thinking about Obito. All this didn't show in his face, however, as he observed them entering the room. What he did notice was Kiba's rather agitated expression, even though the lad tried to hide it. Raine, too, had a sort of guarded expression about her. He wondered what that was about.

The Third Hokage gesturned for them to sit, and once they were settled, he said, "First, I'd like to announce that I've chosen Tsunade as my successor. She is now the Fifth Hokage."

Raine's was a bit surprised at that. Fifth? Whatever happened to the Fourth? She looked around and saw that everyone appeared happy at the news. Raine recognized the voice that spoke to be the Third Hokage, and it came from the rather kind-looking old man in front of her. Since she knew how Kakashi looked like, Raine surmised that Tsunade could only be the extremely voluptuous woman in between them. From what little she knew, due to Kiba's extremely talkative nature, the Hokage is the Leader of the Village, and is the best of the best. It took a lot of Raine's willpower not to stare, however. It wasn't that Raine wasn't used to seeing all sort of body shapes, but she couldn't help but wonder how the Fifth Hokage fights. Not only was the Fifth Hokage so well endowed, she wore an extremely skimpy top … was there a good bra equivalent in this world? Wouldn't the extreme ninja moves cause extreme bouncing motions? Or was that part of her unique fighting style? Images of Tsunade fighting came into Raine's mind and she wondered – again – how on Earth the men in this place kept their eyes in their sockets. Back at her place, such dressing would have two possible meanings. One, they belonged to someone powerful and one could only look, not touch; or two, they were an open invitation to trouble. Obviously, here, _those _possibilities weren't a possibility. After all, the men beside her didn't seem to be trying to sneak a peek.

It was then that Raine realized Kakashi was looking at her intently; and he wasn't the only one. _Uh … did they ask me something? Was I staring at Tsunade? Was it obvious if I was? _Raine wondered, and she hoped she didn't appear so. Then again, which was worse? To be staring at a woman's chest, or to be looking very vacant and empty headed? Raine wasn't sure she knew the answer to that one.

"Er, sorry? Did you say something?" Raine asked, trying not to look as absent-minded as she felt.

"Yes, my dear child," answered the Third Hokage, "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, fine," Raine answered. Well, technically not fine _fine _considering one is flung into an unknown world with unknown people and unknown powers, but fine enough she supposed.

"Could you perhaps tell us a bit about yourself? Maybe we can figure out why the Akatsuki wanted you," said the kindly old man gently.

Raine gulped a bit at that, wondering how much she should divulge. Despite the kindly voice the old man was adopting, Raine somehow felt that it could get more serious. Or would it? So far, everyone had been nice to her. Then again, so had Archie … er, Madara. Raine swallowed nervously, looking up at everyone. Who were waiting so patiently. Which made her even more nervous. Raine started to fidget a bit, playing with the hem of her dress. She tended to do that, when she was nervous. Her fingers just had to do something while her heart was beating rapidly and she felt a bit out-of-breath.

"We-ee-eelll," began Raine slowly before suddenly saying very rapidly," I wouldn't know why they wanted me but it must have been pretty weird and they must have been kinda powerful since I'm not really from here. As in, this world. As in, you know, I'm from another world. Not planet. Then again, that may not be true. Maybe I am from another planet, but that wouldn't make sense either because everyone is human here. Well, relatively human since Kiba doesn't look fully human and Akamaru is rather big for a dog. So maybe I am from a different planet but that wouldn't make sense because everything else is almost the same.."

Everyone's eyes bulged open a bit, upon this sudden, rapid movement of mouth and voice that was came rushing out as fast as Sasuke teleporting. The Third Hokage raised his hand while saying, "Wait, wait. Slow down, take it slowly. You say you're not from here?"

Raine nodded her head, then shook her head.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Which is it?"

"Yes, I'm not from here," explained Raine. She had nodded to agree, and shook her head to mean that she wasn't. "Where I come from, we don't have shinobi … well, we do but that's in television or movies. Though we call them ninja. Which is something like what you are. Then again, perhaps there are real shinobi's out there but they are hidden somewhere like some sort of secret society …" Raine bit her lip then, and stopped. "Sorry. I tend to blabber on when I'm nervous. What I'm _trying _to say, essentially. Er. Yeah. I'm not from here." Raine took a deep breath and clasped her hands together on her lap.

"That would explain a few things, but not why they'd want her here," the new Fifth Hokage said to the Third, "What's worse is that they _brought _her here, from another dimension. They certainly aren't going to sit still about this. The fact that they haven't attacked yet is even more suspicious."

Tsunade turned towards Kakashi, and said, "We can't have another incident like Pain happen here again. Fortify the defences, increase the patrols and double the guards for Raine. It's best if she stays at your place, with double shifts and double rotation."

Kakashi nodded, and got up to do the needful. Kiba practically jumped at the same time, bounding over to Kakashi and followed him out. Raine couldn't help but think that Kiba was more like a dog/wolf than Akamaru, and she watched them go with envy. Turning to face the two Hokages (was that even a word?), Raine felt like having been called to the Principal's office. She found Tsunade looking at her intently, and then began, "Now that they're gone, perhaps there's something else you'd like to tell us?"

Raine blinked. "Tell you?"

Tsunade visibly sighed, and said carefully, "There is the matter of your chakra, the blood seal, and your initial memory loss. All these logically point to one thing only: they had wanted you for your chakra, and had wanted to control you in some way."

"Chakra? Blood seal?" Raine gasped out, "You mean this marking on my stomach? It's not just some strange scratching of some wild animal?" The moment she said that, Raine figured how ridiculous that sounded. When she had first discovered it, Archie/Madara had explained it was caused by an attack of a wild animal. Yet, the 'scratching' were too precise, and there was a distinctive pattern to it to actually make that explanation ludicrous. Still, when Archie had said it, it made perfect sense. In fact, everything Archie ever said always made perfect sense. That, in itself, didn't make sense.

Raine was getting a headache. She rubbed her temple of her forehead and then rubbed her neck, saying, "Ok, granted. That sounded pretty lame. I don't know why, but I just took everything Archie said for truth."

Tsunade nodded, understanding, "That's probably some sort of spell they put on you. Did they burn some incense constantly? There are certain herbs that can induce calmness, and trust. If you're exposed to it long enough, you'll soon become entirely dependent on that person."

"Ah. Yeah, I suppose," agreed Raine. She then told them of her life there for a week. Even now, while telling them of her life there and realizing how much of the closeness was a lie … she still couldn't let go of the strong feelings she had for Archie. Her head was telling her one thing, but it was at war with her heart. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. So she didn't. She wouldn't let them know this 'tugging' she felt each time she thought of Archie or each time his name was mentioned.

"Just how long does this … er, spell last?" Raine asked hesitantly.

"I wouldn't know, and it depends on the potency of the herbs," said Tsunade, who then glanced the Third Hokage for confirmation. Raine, however, seem to detect something else pass between the two of them, as if they were confirming something _else _but she couldn't be sure. Perhaps another side effect to the herb-thingie was that she wouldn't trust other people besides Archie? Maybe that's why she couldn't bring herself to reveal her powers, even though she knew that these people wouldn't look at her in a weird way for it. Or maybe it's just too ingrained within her to hide. She didn't know which it was, and her head was so muddled. How much of her thoughts and feelings were hers, or were induced by the spell?

Right now, all she knew was that she couldn't tell. Literally. Everytime she thought she should, she would clam up unconsciously. This was getting to be rather irritating. Her body wasn't responding to her mind, and her mind was giving weird vibes to her emotions. At this rate, she's going to be a walking robot that only served to eat and have the body survive. Pffft. Life back home was far better than this. It wasn't so complicated and full of subterfuge.

"What about your chakra?" insisted Tsunade.

"Chakra? What's that?" Raine enquired, putting as much an innocent face as she could. Looking blur is one thing she was definitely good at.

Tsunade then went into a detailed explanation of what 'chakra' was, and this time, Raine _didn't _have to pretend to have a blank expression on her face. Though she did exaggerate it further by looking extremely – and I mean extremely – empty headed. Tsunade then gave up, and wisely decided to let the matter drop. For now. There were a lot of things to discuss with the Third, and perhaps now was not the best time to insist on something the girl wasn't clear about. Perhaps, in her world, there was no such thing as 'chakra' that had developed yet and that's why this stranger was even more valuable. Untapped, hidden potential could be dangerous.

Kakashi entered then, nodded and Tsunae told Raine, "It's best you follow Kakashi for now. Please listen to his instructions. It's for your own good." Raine nodded, though she thought she detected a slight threat to the last sentence. Raine just shrugged, nodded and got up to follow Kakashi. Meekly, for now.

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><p><em>A bit slow this week due to lots of commitments at work; thus, not much development within the story itself. Fear not! Or maybe, dread not. Oh heck. Thanks to the reviews - honestly, was a bit shocked to find someone OTHER than my no.1 loyal fan (yes, I'm big headed that way. heh) leaving a review. Thank you, Pinaychik13. Glad you enjoyed the vibrating Kiba. ;)_


	8. Chapter 7

_I do not own Naruto, or its characters; although Hatake Kakashi is 'mine' in my dreams. ;0 I have written this fanfiction - for fun - for my daughter; and I do not follow the Naruto story arc faithfully. Thus, there are slight changes - but essentially, I try to remain true to the characters unique personalities._

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><p>Raine followed Kakashi and Kiba, being quiet for once. A few things had been revealed to her during that conversation, and she didn't quite like it. Not being in control of your own emotions is a real bummer. Raine snapped her fingers. Maybe <em>that <em>was why Kakashi affected her so strangely as well. She had been extremely angry at him for taking her away from Archie/Madara – yet at the same time, she was impressed at how strong and skillful he was for doing so. She had been irritated at him for talking bad about Archie/Madara, yet at the same time she _had _to admit she was kinda affected when she remembered how strong his arms had been wrapped around her, and how safe it made her feel. Even now, as she glanced at him, her heart started going strangely _pitter-patter-pit-pat _in a rather annoying manner. Raine shook her head, and started to slap both her cheeks to 'wake' herself up when she suddenly banged into a wall.

Well, it wasn't a wall. It was actually Kakashi that she had rammed into. He had stopped suddenly, and was looking at her very intently. Raine started stammering, feeling embarrassed and thanked God that she wasn't the type that blushed easily. "S-s-sorry," she said, "I wasn't looking."

"That was obvious," drawled Kakashi with a soft laugh, making her pout. He had found the entire episode quite amusing. When they had first walked out, he noticed that Raine had been deep in thought, giving her a rather dazed expression. Then, she started mumbling under her breath, as if she was arguing with herself. She then snapped her fingers, which was followed by an annoyed expression and finally, she started slapping herself. Kiba had simply stared at Raine with his wide-eyes and was seriously contemplating doing something when Kakashi just shook his head. Obviously, Raine is the extremely expressive type of person, and Kakashi found it more entertaining to watch her than reading his books. It also made him want to tease her even more.

Raine huffed at Kakashi's words, and placed her hands on her hips. She stuck out her tongue at him and decided to ignore him, and walked off quickly. Where to, she didn't care as long as it was far, far, far away from _him_. He really was wrecking havoc to her emotions, and she didn't like it one bit. She knew it was rather childish of her, but she didn't care. Kakashi let her rush off, though he kept pace behind her easily enough, no matter how much faster she walked (much to her annoyance). Finally, she decided that she wasn't achieving anything out of this, so she finally slowed down (though she would have probably started it again if she saw that Kakashi was laughing silently behind her).

Kiba found the entire day to be extremely puzzling. First, there was that chakra surge from Raine so early in the morning. When he had reported it to Kakashi-sensei, Kiba was only told to monitor the progress and to keep on reporting such incidences. At that time, Kakashi-sensei looked very serious. Right now, though, Kakashi-sensei appeared to be enjoying himself at the many weird antics Raine was doing, and doesn't seem too concerned about the danger she was in, nor about the weirdness she seem to have. Perhaps people from other Dimensions were just strange?

"Kibs! Kibs!"

Kiba winced, growled and turn to shout at the person who came bounding over to where they were, "HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT?"

Raine turned to see who it was, and was surprised to see this pixie-like girl with a cheeky grin, her dark wavy hair flying all over the place as she came running towards them. Raine was impressed at the fact that the girl didn't seem fazed at all when the normally sweet natured Kiba appeared like a growling bear. She continued to smile cheekily, her eyes wide open and innocent as she looked at him and replied all innocently, "But but but KIBS! It's so _you_!"

Kibs … I mean, Kiba, however, was far from placated. He growled more as he brought his face close to hers and snarled, "I DARE you to call me that again."

"Kibs?" squeaked the girl before she giggled, turned quickly and ran off like a speeding bullet, her laughter filling the air. Kiba actually roared and started chasing after her while Kakashi just sighed and shrugged his shoulders, saying, "There he goes again. He'll be back later though – he's supposed to be on duty tonight."

"Soooooo," began Raine, "I'm supposed to stay over at your place then?"

"Yes," replied Kakashi, "It's for the best."

Raine scrunched up her face, "But isn't that more inconvenient? For you, at least. After all, from what I see, that's a bachelor's pad and there's only one bed. I can't be troubling you like that for so long, right?"

"It's no trouble," answered Kakashi, as they started walking again, "It is more convenient. Location wise, it's easier to defend as it's surrounded by the outer walls. One wouldn't be able to get close without being seen." Truth be told, Kakashi's house was built and chosen for that specifically: not only was it located in one of the harder-to-penetrate areas, it was small so as to enable him to view everything at once. It was a habit of his, to be in control always; even though it always appeared like he was laid-back.

"Does that mean you're sharing the bed?" a voice piped up from behind them. Raine jumped in surprise while Kakashi answered with a smack at the back of the speaker's head.

"OW!" shouted Naruto, rubbing his head but then quickly looked at them with a huge grin on his face, "It's about time Kakashi-sensei brought _some_ one to his house. Otherwise, he's going to grow into a lonely, senile old man like Old Man Hokage. You can even tell the way he goes around, no girlfriend, no … "

"Naruto?" called Kakashi softly, his eyes twinkling as he faced his former student.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?" answered Naruto, smiling innocently.

"Run."

"Huh?"

…

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Naruto's eyes bulged wide open, his mouth went into an "O" and he ran. Raine heard a crackling noise, a humming and realized that Kakashi's hand was glowing. No, it wasn't glowing but to more accurate, it appeared like it was getting electrically charged. He then flipped something that looked like a coin, now electrically charged, towards the retreating back of Naruto. Naruto _just _went out of view before a loud buzzing sound erupted into the air, and a small wisp of black smoke could be seen.

Raine was flustered, then turned to look at Kakashi, who was now walking again. "Did you – what the – is Naruto okay?" stammered Raine.

"Don't worry," said Kakashi calmly, "It'll take more than that to kill that monkey."

True enough, Naruto emerged into sight – a slightly charred version – raised a finger, then flopped face down to the ground. His hand was still in the air, though, as if he was saying that he's alright. He lifted his head then, grinned then turned to onto his back to face the sky.

Raine shook her head, and sighed. She trudged over to him, kneeled down and felt his forehead, "You ok?"

Naruto blinked and looked at her curiously, "Huh?"

Raine snapped her fingers in front of his face, "How are you feeling? After getting hit by a … a … a … lightning thinga-ma-whatsit!"

"What's a thingamawhatsit?"

"It's … it's … oh, it's just a word for something I don't know, you know, like what-cha-ma-call it?"

"Thingamawhasit, thingamawhatsit …" mumbled Naruto, "I LIKE IT! Though whatchamacall it sounds better…"

Raine felt like shaking the slightly burned boy, but settled on rubbing his hair while asking, "Focus, focus. Are you ok?"

Naruto grinned, gave a thumbs up and sat up, "Of _course _I am. Whatever made you think I wasn't?"

"Oh, I don't know … maybe because you're smoking?"

Naruto laughed heartily at that, and waved her concerns away, "This is nothing! Why when I was just his student the last time, he had actually set of his ninken on us. His ninken!"

"Ninken? What's a ninken?" asked Raine curiously, finding this all so fascinating.

"Don't you know _any_thing? Ninken! His pack. Eight of them, you know!" said Naruto exasperatingly.

_His pack? Kakashi goes in a pack? Like a gang? He's a leader of a gang? But Naruto said he was his student and Kakashi's a ninja, obviously. So he's a gang leader of ninjas teaching kids to be gangsters?_

Raine was getting more and more confused as Naruto rattled on about all the various missions he had gone into, the thins that Kakashi had done and the more Raine listened, the more Kakashi sounded like some sort of tough-perfectionist-teacher. Yet, it was obvious that his former student loves him so perhaps it's not as bad as it appeared to be?

"Naruto, that's enough," growled the usually laid-back Kakashi. Normally, he wouldn't be bothered by Naruto's ramblings and teasing, but somehow, he found it extremely annoying at the moment. Especially since Raine not only appeared to be extremely fascinated by the whole thing, her eyes were getting bigger and bigger with each tale. Upon hearing him say that, though, those two huge eyes were then fixated upon him, making him even more uncomfortable.

"I mean," he said quickly, clearing his voice, "We've got to get going. There are things to prepare."

Raine nodded, placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder and leaning over to whisper in his ear, "You can tell me the rest later." Naruto grinned while looking at Kakashi then winked at her, nodding. He gave her an 'ok' sign with his fingers and ran off. Unbeknown to the both of them, a lone figure behind a tree was wringing her hands upon seeing this exchange. She was a sweet looking girl, with long straight hair that reached just below her shoulders. Her silver eyes were filling up with tears as she kept mumbling, "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear" …

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><p><em>Yup, that's it for the time being. Sorry it's short - I had originally intended to make all my chapters at least 2000 words from now. Can't seem to find the time though. Hope it's enough to tide you over for another week. :)<em>


	9. Chapter 8

_I do not own Naruto, or its characters. I do not follow the Naruto story arc faithfully and there are slight changes - but essentially, I try to remain true to the characters unique personalities. This fanfic is dedicated to my one and only princess. Hope anyone else who stumbles into this enjoys it as well. _

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><p>As they walked, Raine started thinking about what her life would be like now. If she had been brought here, then logically it would mean that she could go back. Then again, it was the Akatsuki that had brought her here so it would be hardly the case that they'd send her back. Unless there was someone from here, at Leaf Village that could send her back. However, even if that was possible, <em>did <em>she want to go back?

Raine looked around. Life was peaceful here. Well, relatively considering that there was always the threat of war hanging over their heads; but people were _open _here. People accepted each other despite the obvious skills possessed by some. Heck, she had just seen Kakashi use his lightning powers on someone else, and no one batted an eyelid. This was something that could never happen back home.

So, if she was to stay, then she should be making plans about her stay. For right now, whilst the threat is still on, she would have to be under the care of the New Leaf Village people … at that thought, Raine suddenly started giggling. Village people. Like, the group that sang 'YMCA' … then a vision of Kakashi doing the dance sent her giggles into peels of laughter. Kakashi stopped, sighed and turned to look at her, laughing away. She had managed to stop for a while, but the moment he turned to face her, she burst into uncontrollable laughter again. This time, tears were streaming down her eyes, and she was clutching her stomach with one hand while waving her other. Finally, she sat down and covered her face in her arms, still laughing even though it wasn't so loud this time. Just her shoulders were shaking from laughing.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Raine stopped. "Sorry, sorry," she managed to gasp out to Kakashi, but not daring to look at him but instead focused on the ground, "Just give me a moment." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and concentrated on calming down. She brought her knees close to her chest, wrapped her hands around her legs while putting her forehead on her knees and continued to take slow, deep breaths. As usual, when she started using her senses like this, her surroundings became more acute. This time, instead of blocking them, she opened herself up and allowed Mother Earth – or Nature, since this wasn't Earth after all – to fill her up.

It wasn't a literal 'filling up' but rather, having her emotions attune to her surroundings. She could feel the cool air caressing her skin like a mother would do to a sickly child, the warm earth steadying her as her turbulent emotions were anchored, the heat in the ground warming up her body … all of Nature working together, with her being the focus of their attention. Even then, she knew that she wasn't really the center of their attention as she could feel Nature was also – almost lovingly – taking care of the people of New Leaf as well; and that the people of New Leaf weren't greedily sucking the life out of Nature but harnessing it properly, through training and respect. Here, things were balanced. It was _nice_.

It took her less than a minute to calm down, and she had Nature to thank for that. Giving Earth a pat while saying her silent thanks, she got up and smiled at Kakashi, apologizing again, "I'm really sorry about that. I guess the stress had been building up more than I realized. So! Lead on, kind sir."

Just about then, Raine saw someone running towards them – and it turned out to be the same girl that Kiba had been chasing. Correction. _Still _chasing. The giggling girl then ran behind Raine, grabbing her from behind and basically used her as a shield. Kiba came bounding over, growled and snapped at her on the left, to which she dodged to the right. Kiba swerved to the right, and the girl ducked to the left. This kept going on for a bit, and all this time, Raine was right in the middle with the girl behind her and Kiba in front of her. Finally, Raine grabbed hold of Kiba's head, squished his cheeks and looked at him straight in the eye.

"Enough," Raine said firmly, never letting go of the eye contact. It felt like she was disciplining her puppy, but it seemed to work.

Kiba unintentionally whimpered, then caught himself. He growled and snapped at the girl behind Raine, saying, "You're lucky, _this _time." Then he left with a whistle, as he thought of all the things he'd do if he ever caught up with her. Not that he couldn't if he really, really tried, of course. It was just more fun this way.

"Why _do _you do that, Kaitlyn?" asked Kakashi as he watched Kiba saunter off.

Kaitlyn giggled, then shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. He's just soooooooooooooooo easy to agitate," replied Kaitlyn, twindling her fingers as she pouted a bit. "I wouldn't do it if he really minds it. I think. I mean, I think he doesn't really mind it, that is, not that I think I wouldn't do it if he really minds it."

Then she looked up at Kakashi-sensei with a _very _innocent expression, her eyes opened wide and she adopted this extremely pitiful face as she said with a _very _sugary sweet voice, "I'm not _rea-lly_ being notty, am I? Am I Kakashi-sensei?" Then, with a huge grin, she skipped away, whistling. Raine somehow managed to keep a straight face throughout the entire thing.

Kakashi watched her go then chuckled a bit as he then continued his walk, saying, "And I thought my students were hard to manage."

Raine giggled, "I thought Kiba was supposed to join us?"

"Oh, he will," assured Kakashi, "Once he calms down."

Once they reached Kakashi's house, he set to show her around properly and instruct her on the 'safe' way to act. Never go out alone. Never be near the open window. Never go _any_where by herself. Always tell those on guards what she was doing, and where she was going. Always inform them if something strange happens. Always be prepared to run. If an attack occurs, she was to follow the second guard while the first guard would attack and defend. Though Raine did pay attention initially, her mind started wandering as she looked at Kakashi's house properly. It was a habit of hers, to look at the furniture and furnishings, and try to figure out the personality of the person through it. She had to admit, Kakashi had good taste; or rather, his choices would be similar to what she would have chosen. His furniture was mainly wooden, and rather natural looking without various ostentatious designs. In fact, they were simple, earthy designs that were not ornamental but practical. There was beauty in its simplicity. It was obviously a bachelor's pad as there weren't any flowers or frilly curtains … then something pink caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they were a pile of books; which she found fascinating enough as she didn't know many guys who would actually read a book. Let alone a pink coloured one. As she reached out to take one to examine it further, she was stopped by Kakashi, who had taken her right hand.

Surprised, she turned to him but he had his face slightly turned away as he said, "It is important for me to show you this."

Raine followed obediently, though she made a mental note to look through those pile of books. It would perhaps relieve the boredom of being cooped up in a house with people looking at her all the time. Unknown to her, Kakashi made a mental note himself. To keep his books in a more secure – and obscure – place.

They reached a wall that had the dining room table against it. It was a very nice table, that had retained its original, rustic look. It wasn't polished or varnished but actually looked like the tree had grown into a table. Kakashi reached underneath the table with her hand, letting her feel a slight bump. "Press it," he said and she did. She gasped a bit as the floor underneath the table swung open inwards, to reveal a very dark hole.

"This is a hidden room, known to only a few," explained Kakashi "There are candles, water and some dry food supplies that will last you for a few days; a week if you're careful. Never, ever open the doors unless the password is given."

Kakashi entered the dark hole first, then reached out his hands to help her in. Raine took a deep breath and took hold of both his hands before jumping in. Raine was deathly afraid of the dark, though she would never admit it openly, so she put on a brave smile as she looked around. It was really pitch black inside, and since the hidden room was underneath the table, there wasn't much light that was allowed in. Still, she managed to at least see the shapes and outline of what was immediately in front of her; though anything beyond one step to where she was, was utterly pitch black. "Always enter the room facing the wall," directed Kakashi, as he took her right hand and placed his left hand on her waist as he led forward, "The moment you enter, take two steps to your left."

Raine gulped, and took some steady, deep breaths as they entered the 'dark zone'. If it wasn't for Kakashi being there, holding her and that she could feel him behind her, she would have been hyperventilating at that moment. Kakashi didn't appear to notice any of her nervousness, as he continued his instructions, "Here," he said, bringing her hand up and letting her feel the wall, and she could feel something like a switch, "About two handspans above, is the switch to close the trapdoor. It cannot be opened from outside once this is closed."

To demonstrate, he flipped the switch and the entire room become so dark that Raine closed her eyes. Hey, it was less scary if she couldn't see because she had her eyes closed rather than not being able to see with her eyes open. When she had first come to this world with her eyesight stolen, the darkness she felt then was not as scary as being in a room that she couldn't see. It sounded strange, but that's how she felt. With her right hand still on the switch, Kakashi then directed her left hand in another direction, as he explained in her ear, "Three handspans directly beneath the switch, are the candles and matches. Here, can you feel them?"

Raine nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. Then she realized he wouldn't be able to see it, so she whispered, "Y-yes". Kakashi let go of her hands then, and was gone – and she bit her lips to stop herself from screaming out loud. She _knew _Kakashi wouldn't be far behind, but that didn't mean she still didn't panic from suddenly being bereft of his presence. Not even a minute passed when she felt his hands taking the matches and candle from underneath her left hand, and a match was struck, illuminating Kakashi's face briefly before he lit a candle and held it up. Only then did she unfreeze from her position, taking more deep breaths. Kakashi then showed her where the food and water were, a blanket to use to sleep and even (to his embarrassment), a place to relieve herself if need be. It was just like the very, very, _very _olden days before the modern toilet: the typical hole in dirt with spade and a pail of fresh dirt beside it. Raine acknowledged the practicality of the whole room, though she hoped she wouldn't need to use it at all.

"Only use this in an emergency," said Kakashi as he flipped the switch to open the trapdoor again. He blew out the candle, but Raine was prepared this time. She simply focused on the open trapdoor, and headed towards it. Heading out was far, far easier than being inside. Kakashi jumped out nimbly and easily while Raine looked up in chagrin. "I definitely can't get out of here without _some _help," she muttered under her breath as Kakashi leaned inside to help her out. "You know, if no one comes to get me if I had to use the room, I'd probably die in there. I'm not some super-hero ninja to go jumping around like a monkey."

Kakashi chuckled then, as he pressed the switch to close the trapdoors again. Raine looked at the floor, and was impressed. Even knowing the room was there, she couldn't see the outline of the trapdoor at all. The floor's pattern was such that the trapdoor lines were integrated into it, blending in. "You have a point there," Kakashi replied, "I'll put in a grappling hook later so you can use it should that ever arise."

"I'm counting on you to make sure it _never _does arise," stated Raine, "Otherwise, I'll come and haunt you."

Kakashi stood at attention and saluted, before giving a deep bow, "I hear, and I obey."

For an answer, Raine used _both _of her hands to ruffle his hair, trying to make it messy … er, messier than it already was. Kakashi laughed, and quickly escaped from her just as Naruto came in. He stopped for a while, his eyes looking at the both of them in surprise. "Kakashi-sensei? Why are you playing catch with Raine-san in the house?"

Upon hearing that, Raine and Kakashi doubled over in laughter, making Naruto even more confused. Finally giving up trying to understand, he shrugged and laughed with them.

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><p><em>Apologies for the extremely late update. Lots of work, which also causes ideas to stagnate; it also means I'll only be able to update every fortnight, rather than every week. It's a slow-moving story, I know, but hopefully it just means it can get interesting rather than boring. :p R&amp;R appreciated. :) <em>


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